Tokyo: Japan has announced that it will reopen to tourists from 98 countries and regions starting June 10, ending a two-year pandemic closure, but travellers will only be allowed in with tour groups.
The decision comes after the government last week said it would test allowing small group tours with visitors from the United States, Australia, Thailand and Singapore from this month.
On Thursday, the government revised border controls to resume accepting package tours from 98 countries and regions including Britain, the United States, France, Spain, Canada and Malaysia.
Japan will also expand the number of airports that accept international flights to seven, adding Naha in its Okinawa prefecture and New Chitose near Sapporo in Hokkaido.
For most of the pandemic, Japan has barred all tourists and allowed only citizens and foreign residents entry, though even the latter have periodically been shut out.
All arrivals must test negative before travel to Japan and many must be tested again on arrival, though triple-vaccinated people coming from certain countries can skip the extra test as well as a three-day quarantine required for others.
Tour groups are expected to take responsibility for ensuring that visitors respect Japan’s near-universal mask-wearing and other measures that have helped keep the toll from Covid-19 comparatively low. — AFP
